


BEGONIA

by TheSnakeUnicorn



Category: Pantene Rescue Shots "Just Landed" (Commercial)
Genre: Gen, Girl Power, Hair, Heist, Misses Clause Challenge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-15
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-18 12:07:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21810610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSnakeUnicorn/pseuds/TheSnakeUnicorn
Summary: A girl gets in a fight with her friends and cuts, bleaches, and dyes her hair. What they do to help her will amaze you.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4
Collections: Yuletide 2019





	BEGONIA

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kultiras](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kultiras/gifts).



Five girls, one mission. One simple mission, last week it was Coach, and the one before they stole almost $5000 in makeup from Sephora, and who knows what it will be next week. How did this all start? You may find yourself wondering. Well that is a long story.  
It started almost a decade ago. There were five of them. Hannah, the Scottish redhead, Mia, the long-haired Colombian brunette, Victoria, the African-American curly-haired one, Chloe, the Korean blond one, and Julia, the Chinese brunette with hair that almost touched her feet. They were inseparable. They all grew up on the same street. Their parents were friends and they all had been best friends since preschool. The five of them would die for each other without thinking twice.   
One day Julia and Victoria got in a terrible fight - something stupid about Julia’s boyfriend. It shattered their relationship. When Julia got home she was crying her eyes out. She cut her long locks off. Her hair had touched the back of her knees but she hacked it off so it ended at her armpits. Her mascara streamed down her face as she looked at her reflection. She could move her neck easily now. She still didn’t like it. She bleached her head and then dyed it a cotten candy pink with kool aid. The next morning, when her hair was dry and she looked in the mirror, she cried again. She looked like pastel e-girl, except worse because her scalp was burnt and she didn’t wash out the bleach before she put in the hair dye so it stayed in too long and it was all crusty and crunchy. She couldn't go out like this. Not knowing what else she could possibly do, she face timed her friends.   
Even though they had gotten into a huge fight just the day before, her friends were happy to help. After an hour of thinking of ideas Mia finally thought of the perfect plan.   
She said, “What if we steal that like super cool hair product I hear people use in Brazil?”   
“Oh my god, you mean Pantene Rescue Shots?” Hannah said.   
“I heard those have, like, saved lives,” said Chloe.  
“Oh my god, I have the perfect idea!” exclaimed Victoria, “What if we, like fly to Brazil, with as many handbags as possible, and, like fill all of them to the brim with Pantene Rescue   
Shots?”  
Chloe shook her head, “But I don’t think that’s going to make Julia’s hair go back to it’s natural color.”  
“It’s fine Chloe, I kind’ve like the color anyway. Plus, it will make my hair look shiny and pretty, and who knows, I might just switch my aesthetic to a little more e-girly,” Julia smiled, she was so happy she had such great friends.   
So Victoria, Chloe, Hannah and Mia all bought plane tickets to Sao Paulo, Brazil and left the next day. They each brought their favorite handbag and they arrived around dinner. They started their mission right away. It was easy. They just went in took the Pantene Rescue Shots and went out. Stealing came naturally for all of them.   
The next morning the news had reported that almost 500 containers of Pantene Rescue Shots had been stolen from the Pantene Rescue Shots Headquarters. When they boarded the plane, they had to be careful. They knew they could do it. They all had had strict parents . They had all learned how to lie to someone's face and get away with things at a young age. They just walked confidently through security, smiling at a few workers they passed. Hannah however, was caught by the airport workers (who Chloe was positive also worked for Pantene). But hey, they didn’t go to the gym everyday for nothing. They picked up their bags and ran. Victoria made it there first, then Chloe, then Hannah, and finally Mia who had skipped a few days at the gym. She arrived two whole minutes after they did, and when she arrived at her seat was taken.   
There was a rather old lady sitting in Mia’s seat.   
“Excuse me miss,” Mia said gently, “I think you may have sat in the wrong seat.” The lady looked up at her. Mia hadn’t realized this before but even though the lady looked quite old, she had young, piercing eyes that seemed to read her eyes like a book .   
“No,” The lady said confidently, “this seat is mine. I got seat 3A. Are you sure you didn't read it wrong and you’re 4A? That seat is open,” The lady gestured to a seat behind her.  
“No, I’m positive-” Mia read her ticket again. It said 4A, but she could’ve sworn she bought seat 3A. Plus she remembered that Chloe took seat 4A, and she remembered picking her seat next to Victoria. Mia looked at Victoria, who just shrugged and gesture in a way that said, “just go with it, we probably just made a mistake.” Mia turned around and there was a whole new row that was in between the other rows. One role, with just one seat. Mia sat in it, hesitantly.  
Chloe was sad. She wanted to do the cool victory unzipping of the bags that they planned to do.   
The lady smiled to herself, “So what were you four ladies doing in Brazil?”   
They all looked at each other. Victoria’s specialty was lying, or acting rather, but that also made her very good at lying. “Um, actually,” she looked down at her lap and smiled sadly, “We were visiting Mia’s family is Sao Paulo.”   
She looked at Mia and Mia looked away and tear fell down her cheek.  
“Her father died a week ago and we were attending his funeral because we are friends and friends are family.”  
Mia put her hand on her mouth and tried to conceal her fake tears.  
“I don’t think Mia wants to talk about it though. She and her father were very close.”  
The lady looked down, her lips pursed and eyebrows knit. “I’m very sorry to hear that, lots of people I loved have died in my lifetime, so I know how hard this must be for you.”  
Victoria smiled and nodded at the lady and they sat in an awkward silence for the next few hours. Well, they thought it was awkward. The lady watched a _Ocean’s 8_ on the seatback screen.   
About four hours into the flight the lady started to eye their bags. Victoria, who was sitting next to the lady, put the bag on the other side of her so the lady couldn’t see it. The lady paused her movie (she was now watching _Charlie’s Angles_ ) and looked at Victoria, “Sweety, if you don’t mind me asking, what do you do for a living?” Victoria looked at her friends and they all shrugged, and Chloe giggled.   
“Um, I’m currently in college, but I also have a job as a waitress at a restaurant,” Victoria smiled awkwardly.  
“Oh that so sweet, I never went to college, what’s it like?”  
Victoria decided that the lady was probably going to talk to her for awhile so she relaxed a little and turned to face the lady in her chair, “It’s actually quite fun, much better than high school.”  
“It’s quite expensive though isn’t it?” The lady looked her up and down as if she was examining how rich Victoria looked.  
“Yeah, but I manage.”  
The lady nodded, “What’s your major?  
“Neurology. It’s very interesting,” Victoria hoped the dry conversation would end.  
“And what do you do to help pay for your college expenses again?”   
Victoria repeated what she said a minute ago, “I’m a waitress.”  
“Does that pay well, sweety?”   
Victoria looked very uncomfortable, “Yeah, I'm pretty good at it. People tip me well.”  
The lady nodded, “I have a job that I think you girls could do very well.”   
“I’m sorry, I just said I have a job and so do my girlfriends,” Victoria looked at her friends for some help but they were all on their phones or sleeping.  
“Well this is a special job, and I assure you it pays very well.” The lady smiled and looked at Mia, Hannah and Chloe.   
Victoria checked the time on her phone. Three and a half more treacherous hours until they were home, “I’m sorry we’re not interested.” She looked at the lady and smiled awkwardly.   
“I think you are interested. After all you seemed to love your last mission and no one even told you to plan that,” The ladies smile continued to grow when she saw how confused and uncomfortable Victoria was, “What if I told you my job is to help recruit people like you to work for a secret organization.”   
“As awesome as that would be, I’m not interested.”  
“You actually believe me?” The lady tilted her head.  
“I never said that. Honestly, I think you’re a crazy old lady who doesn't know how to talk to people so you make random shit up,” Victoria said bluntly.  
The lady burst out laughing, “I knew I’d like you, but I am not one day above 63 and 51 days, and my mental health record is perfect. In fact, I have never even had one thing wrong with my health, mental or physical. Never had a cold. Never had a papercut!”   
Victoria nodded, even though she was now more convinced of this ladies insanity. The lady sighed and took out a card. The card had a picture of a man on it who was smiling in a way that gave her chills down her spine. The card said, “BEGONIA” In all caps. On the back it had a phone number and email. The lady gave Victoria the card, who hesitantly took it. “Begonia is the organization I work for. Ever hear of it?”   
Now that she thought of it, Victoria had heard of it. She remembered hearing the name somewhere but she forgot where.   
“Oh, my name’s Penelope by the way, but most people just call me Penny.” The lady who Victoria now knew was Penny smiled to herself as if recalling a fond memory. “Anyway you should look into it. It’s super fun and pays well in every way. If you’re interested just call the number on the back of the business card!”  
“Thanks,” Victoria said, still a little confused, and still trying to remember where she heard of Begonia from. The rest of the plane ride Penny didn’t talk to her. When they got off she just nodded and disappeared into the crowd.   
Victoria told Mia, Chloe and Hannah about it immediately. They had all heard the name before but couldn’t remember where. So Chloe decided to look it up. Begonia was like the Blackwater of cosmetics. “That sound so cool,” Hannah said bluntly.  
“Really, Hannah,” Chloe said kind’ve aggressively, “You want to be a professional criminal?.”  
“Well, I mean we did just steal almost 500 containers of conditioner.” Mia pointed out.  
Chloe glared at Mia.  
“And we haven't been caught yet so we must’ve done a pretty good job.” Hannah said.  
“And imagine how much money we can get,” Victoria said her eyes filled with wonder.  
Chloe threw her hands up in the air, “What the hell is wrong with you guys. Do you guys have any morals at all?”  
“But Chloe-” Victoria started to say something but Chloe interrupted her.  
“Stop. Let’s see what Julia thinks. We either should all do this together or not do it at all.” Chloe sighed and raised her eyebrows.  
They all agreed and didn’t talk to they arrived at Julia’s apartment.  
“Are you kidding me? That sounds amazing, this is literally what I dreamed of doing my entire life,” She looked down at all the bags, “Oh, did you guys get all this for me?” She each of them, “I love you guys so much.”  
Chloe sighed, “Fine. I’ll do this with you guys, but that’s only because I remembered how fun stealing all the Pantene shots was.”  
“Yeah!!” Hannah, Mia, Victoria and Julia all said together.   
It was that simple, the next day they called the number on the back of the business card, and they were assigned their first mission. Julia couldn’t go on it because she was busy fixing her hair, but she went on the next one. And every year as a tradition they went and stole 500 containers of Pantene Rescue shots. Julia had to miss out on that trip because the Pantene Rescue Shots were a present for her whether she needed them or not.


End file.
